This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This bacon and mushroom pasta recipe has crispy bacon and plenty of mushrooms in a delicious garlic herb cream sauce. It only takes about 30 minutes to make!
You may also like my Creamy Mushroom Pasta or this Mushroom Stroganoff next.
Why you’ll love it
This mushroom and bacon pasta is easy to make on a busy weeknight but tasty enough for company, which is really the best kind of meal there is! And everything is better with bacon, of course. It’s such a classic pairing with juicy mushrooms in this simple pasta recipe.
The creamy sauce uses pantry staples like garlic and Italian seasoning, so you don’t need to get any fancy ingredients. We’re using just the right amount of cream to make it rich without being heavy. This mushroom pasta is one that doubles as a picky-eater approved meal or works for date night!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – I prefer a longer pasta shape for this recipe. I used bucatini, but spaghetti or linguine or similar will work fine.
- Bacon – the bacon grease is what we’re using to sauté the mushrooms in for additional flavor
- Mushrooms – I like cremini for their earthy and delicious texture and taste
- Garlic – add even more than suggested if you’re a big fan
- White wine or chicken broth – for more savory taste. I don’t have a brand preference for the wine, but something dry like a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio will work. You can use chicken broth if you don’t want to open a bottle/don’t have any.
- Italian seasoning – it’s a tasty dried herb blend that comes in a single, convenient jar
- Lemon juice – a touch of acidity and brightness to balance everything
- Flour – for thickening the sauce
- Dijon mustard – I wouldn’t skip it! It adds more depth to the sauce so that it’s not boring and one-dimensional. Don’t worry, the sauce doesn’t taste like mustard.
- Heavy cream – for that luxurious finishing touch
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- It’s easiest to cut the bacon into small pieces using kitchen shears.
- Using a garlic press to mince the garlic cloves is effortless since you don’t need to peel them first.
- I like this OXO tall storage container to keep spaghetti fresh.
How to make creamy bacon mushroom pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Boil the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon, then transfer it to a plate. Sauté the mushrooms in the leftover bacon grease. Stir in the garlic, then transfer the mushrooms to the plate.
Pour in the broth or wine, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, flour, and Dijon mustard. Once reduced a bit, add in the cream and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
Return the bacon and mushrooms back to the pan, and cook through for a few more minutes. Toss with the drained pasta, and garnish with fresh parm and chopped parsley if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- You can swap the cremini mushrooms for another variety like white mushrooms.
- As always, sub the cream for something lower fat at your own discretion (like half-and-half or milk). There’s always a chance it can curdle since this is cooked over quite a high heat, and it won’t taste as good.
- If you want to add a pop of freshness, try adding in a handful of spinach near the end of the cooking time until it wilts.
What to serve with bacon mushroom pasta
- It makes a filling meal on its own, but you can always serve it with a big slice of fresh crusty bread or a dinner roll to round it out. Garlic Bread works too.
- For a lighter option, try a green salad with my Easy Italian Dressing or Homemade Creamy Balsamic Dressing. You don’t need a blender to make either of them!
Leftovers and storage
- This mushroom pasta is best eaten when it’s cooked, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container.
- For best results, reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat, giving it the occasional stir. Add a splash of wine or cream if the sauce needs reviving.
- I don’t recommending freezing leftovers. Creamy sauces don’t hold up well in the freezer.
If you made this easy bacon mushroom pasta recipe, let me know in the comments below! Ask me any questions not answered in the blog post. You can also find me on Instagram.
Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta (I used bucatini)
- 6 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- For serving: freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water and cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a skillet until crispy over medium-high heat. When it's done, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet, and cook them, stirring occasionally, for about 5-6 minutes or until they release water and it's been cooked off.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Take the mushrooms out of the pan (add them to the same plate that has the bacon).
- Add the broth, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, flour, and Dijon mustard to the pan. Give it a good stir (only let it cook for about a minute max or it'll all cook off).
- Add in the cream and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and bacon back to the skillet. Let it heat through/cook for a few more minutes until it's slightly thickened, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet and toss. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. If the sauce gets a tad too thick, add in a splash of the hot pasta water prior to draining it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
So my family and I have had this four times and we absolutely love it, it’s creamy and delicious. Would definitely recommend it and it makes alot we use Rigatoni pasta its so yummy i could eat it everyday if my waist line aloud it <3
That’s great to hear!! 🙂 I’m so pleased it’s a hit for you guys.
This pasta is truly phenomenal. It is 5 stars because it is easy to make, minimal prep, minimal pans, fast cook time, everyday ingredients, and most importantly it tastes so good!!!! Restaurant quality. My only suggestion would be to make sure to make it with spaghetti or angel hair pasta. The only noodles I had on hand were rigatoni, and although it was delicious and wonderful, the sauce to noodle ratio was offf. This could easily be fixed if we followed the exact recipe instructions and used spaghetti type noodles. But even with the rigatoni I had on hand, 5/5 stars. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Yes, I agree this goes best with long pasta noodles. Thanks for taking the time to review my recipe, Dana!
This was excellent! I made a milk free version as my family has lactose intolerance and milk allergies. I merely substituted the heavy cream for oat milk and tripled the flour. My adult son said he wants it again soon and maybe try it with some grilled chicken.
So glad you were able to adapt it!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know… I’m sure your comment will help other readers.
My family enjoyed it. The lemon juice and dijon mustard took it to the next level. Thank you!
Fantastic!!
Sounds delish – what protein would go well with this? Shrimp or chicken? Suggestions on how to cook it?
Hi! It’s plenty filling with the bacon as the protein. I suppose you could add a bit of already cooked shrimp or chicken (like rotisserie chicken) towards the end if you wanted to (like just to heat through). If you want to do a chicken or shrimp pasta, I recommend typing “chicken pasta” or “shrimp pasta” into any of the search bars on my website since I have plenty of tested recipes with both those ingredients.
It is delicious!
Made it for my kids because I have to work, and ofcourse I had to try it and I was really surprised about the flavour😁
I made 4 things from here and they were all very good and approved!
Only thing is that it needs a little more work because I have to check the measurements, and somethings I am not 100% sure because I have to believe the websites!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Just made this tonight and it’s delicious! Even my picky kids cleaned their bowls. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Fantastic!! You’re very welcome!
Loved the flavor but I was hoping you could add a note about reserving pasta liquid to the instructions. Also thinking this may need some spinach to cut the rich flavor?
I did double the ,mushrooms and that was perfect.
Hi! Sure, you could definitely add in some spinach. I’m a bit confused since I do have the note in step 8. Was that somehow confusing?
She probably means add it to step 1. Some people might not read the whole recipe before starting, and by the time you get to step 8, you already drained all the pasta water.
Haven’t tried this yet but want to make it this weekend!
I hope you like it! Let me know. 🙂
Hi there. Your ingredients list 1 teaspoon flour but I don’t see it used anywhere in the recipe. Am I missing the step? Thanks!
Hi! Step 6. So sorry! I do proofread my recipes multiple times, but somehow I managed to miss that. Just updated it.
Made this for dinner and it was a HUGE hit. The sauce was creamy without being too rich. I’ve tried several of your recipes and have enjoyed all that I’ve tried. Thank you so much!
Fantastic!! I’m so glad to hear that, Heather! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review, and do let me know if you try anything else. 😀
FIVE STARS. I tried this recipe for the first time today and it is SO delicious! The sauce is perfectly seasoned and is creamy without being heavy. It’s definitely a keeper and will be a regular in my meal planning rotation.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kerri!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write me a review. 😀
While my husband and I love mushrooms, but our 2 daughters hate them. Any substitutions or ideas?
Hi! Might be easiest to try a different recipe since the mushrooms are really the star of the dish. Do your girls like tomatoes? They may like this bacon and tomato pasta: https://bit.ly/3tNL7TX or this bacon and leek pasta is a good one too: https://bit.ly/2OX4R8L
Hi Natasha, I made the mushroom bacon pasta today. Followed the recipe but I didn’t use any cream and used turkey bacon instead. What I did use was the pasta water to thicken the sauce. It does cook down quickly but makes a delicious creamy sauce without the fat calories. I love my pasta, as does my Italian husband so I try to cut back on extra fat. I did use a little more extra virgin olive oil as I was sautéing the garlic, spices and I threw In a good pinch of red pepper flakes too! When all combined I added some fresh parsley on top. We loved this recipe and I used fettuccine btw! Thank you for a great recipe idea
Glad you were able to tweak it!